Review for "THE BANNED BOOKS CLUB."
Two sisters, one left her hometown following a scandal—the other needs her back so she can save her life.
Gia's sister, Margot, asked her to come home to help with their ailing mother, Gia knows she has no choice. After a rebellious teen years, Gia left town. Margot’s needs her and she needs to show up.
There’s the Banned Books Club she started in high school, and was waiting for her. Also Mr. Hart. He was fired after Gia publicly and painfully accused him of sexual misconduct. The one person she hoped never to see again.
Margot had her own problems, her life wasn't perfect and needed Gia. After 18 years the town still believes Gia was lying about Mr. Hart. Gia. learned that there are people that believe her and stand up for the truth. Gia finds love and a future in the town that turned on her. The twists and turns in the life of the two sister keeps you glued to the book. Definitely a must read!!

Another amazing book by author Brenda Novak. I couldn't out it down. Read it in one day.

When Gia Rossi’s sister urges her to come home to help with her sick mother she resists. She knows she has to go back but an incident in her past has her dreading facing the friends and town folk she left behind. She was to start her banned book club back but everyone wants to dredge up the past and are divided on if she was a victim or did an injustice to an innocent man. Gia just wants to move on from the past whether they believe her or not.


Thanks to Brenda Novak and Harlequin Trade Publishing/MIRA

A scandal that occurred when she was 17 has kept Gia away from her hometown for years. A desperate call from her sister and her mother’s cancer will bring her back to the last place she wants to be for an extended period of time. Margot needs her sister to come home and take her turn taking care of their sick mother, because she has plans and her sister coming home will allow her the freedom to execute them. The one thing Gia is looking forward to is reuniting with the members of The Banned Book Club that she started in high school.
I really enjoyed this book. It definitely got more into some tough subjects, sexual assault, domestic violence, then I anticipated, and not quite as many banned book conversations as I expected but I couldn’t put it down and I really like this book. This was hard to read but I appreciate the care that was put into the conversations around the tougher bits about how these things are handled by individuals and communities.
Thank you to @_mira_books_ and @netgalley @authorbrendanovak for letting me review #thebannedbookclub
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I want to take a moment to thank the publishing company as well as NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A book about book clubs? Sign me up! This book was wonderful between the mystery and romance to the characters that were beyond lovable. If you are a book lover then please pick this book up. I promise you will not be disappointed.

I really enjoyed this book. The book started slow, but I was glad I pushed through because I LOVED the middle. I was hooked and didn’t want to put it down. The build up to the ending was wonderful, but the ending itself felt a little bit rushed to me. I would’ve loved for there to have been more details here or even a second epilogue.

Another amazing book by Brenda Novak. I loved the characters and the story line. Definitely a five star must read

Gia Rossi started a banned books club in high school when the PTA decided it was going to make a move to change the English department’s curriculum, her senior year English teacher sexually molests her when she goes to petition him to regrade her research paper so she can keep her college scholarship, and rumors spread like wildfire around the small town. Flash forward 17 years, and Gia’s sister, Margot, guilts Gia into coming home to help take care of their dying mother and the past comes back to haunt her. Gia fails to stay out of the town’s spotlight and is pushed back into the past by her old English teacher verbal abuse and peers who are convinced she is lying about the SA. Margot takes her two sons and runs away from her verbally (and most likely soon to be physically) abusive husband. In the end, the teacher and Margot’s husband get their just deserts.

This book really isn’t about a banned books club, but rather what happened in high school and how it is playing out now. So, really my first gripe with the book is that the title is a bit misleading. Secondly, there is A LOT of victim blaming and shaming of Gia and the sexual assault in the first half of the book and it was honestly hard for me to read. The characters do come around to believing her and apologize, but it felt icky at first. It also felt a little slow for me to start, but by the time I was half way through I had a hard time putting the book down. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. There was romance and it became a bit of a thriller in the second half of the book which I enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Banned Books Club was a high school club that the protagonist formed to fight against censorship. It's not so much about the banned books as it is about the things that happened at the high school. These events changed the course of Gia's life, to be sure. I did enjoy the look at the sisters and their relationship. I also thought the treatment of small town rumor and how people deal with controversy was very well done. It was, however, all a little too wrapped up. I enjoyed it. Will it stick with me? Only time will tell. 3.5 stars.

The Banned Books Club really has very little to do with banned books, but a lot to do with how society treats victims of sexual and domestic violence/abuse. Gia was molested by her high school English teacher, and he was convicted and sent to jail, but many of the people in her hometown believe his claim of innocence. She left town after high school and rarely came back. Her sister, Margot, is in a marriage with an emotionally abusive and controlling man, who is from a “pillar of society” family and feels powerless to truly escape him without losing her children. While their mother is nearing the end of her life because of terminal cancer, Margot asks Gia to come home and help their father, and Margot, with their mother’s care. Gia does come home, but can feel the townspeople’s disapproval of her return. Margot takes the opportunity, when her husband goes away for his annual week long hunting trip, to take her boys and leave town forever, since she knows her sister is there to help their father. What I love about Brenda Novak’s books is that her stories are not cookie cutter and always have several layers of relationships & situations. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA and NetGalley for an advance reader’s ebook to review.

Gia left town years ago after scandal ripped families and friends apart, her sister Margot needs her to come home and help care for her mom who is battling cancer.
There is another reason Margot wants her to come home, there is something very wrong in her marriage and she needs her sister home so she can plan her escape.

Gia being back has reopened the scandal and has put family and friends on opposite sides, even when the truth come out.

This book has so much going on, I am so in love with so many of these characters.
This author has always been one of my favorites and this book is, you will not want to miss!

Thanks for her opportunity to read an advanced copy! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend to anyone. Overcoming obstacles from your past and battling to have yourself believed and heard can be such a hard thing. The author did a great job of showing the emotions of moving on and making peace.

I love this author and this was another easy read. mystery with a splash of romance is always a good combo! And a book about books is super fun!

Brenda Novak has done it again. Wonderful insightful read. Gia returns home to reconnect and heal old wounds with her dying Mother. Past demons from 17 years prior come to a head. Gia realizes her sister Margot did not live the charmed life she envisioned her living. Suspense, trauma, healing of old wounds, romance, righting of wrongs are all found in this very well written book. Highly recommend. I was given an advanced reader copy of this book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

"The Banned Bookclub" by Brenda Novak is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged novel about family, forgiveness, and standing up for what is right. Gia Rossi returns to Wakefield, Iowa, after her sister Margot begs her to help with their ailing mother. Gia's homecoming is anything but pleasant, as she must confront the fallout from her past actions, including the Banned Books Club she started and her public accusations against her former teacher, Mr. Hart.

As Gia tries to make amends and support her sister, she discovers the cracks in Margot's seemingly perfect life. This realization prompts Gia to stand up for what is right, even if it means going against the town and the book club she started. Along the way, Gia learns that she can depend on people in her life and discovers love and a future in the town she thought had rejected her.

The book is a gripping and emotional read that touches on important themes such as censorship, sexual misconduct, and family dynamics. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the author does an excellent job of portraying the complexities of family relationships. The story is also a powerful reminder of the importance of standing up for what we believe in, even if it means going against the grain.

Overall, "The Banned Bookclub" is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a thought-provoking and emotionally charged novel. Brenda Novak has created a compelling story that will stay with readers long after they finish the book."

The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak grabs your attention from the very beginning, The story is an HEA tale full of drama and interesting plots. A good mix of unlikable/insufferable characters especially Sheldon and Mr Hart balanced out with likable and relatable characters in Gia, Margot, Cormack and Max. A heartwarming and captivating read.

Thank you Brenda Novak, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Loved it! So much happening in this one that kept me turning the pages to find out how things would work out for Gia and for her sister Margot/Margaret. Some hard topics in this book (cancer, sexual misconduct by a teacher, abuse) but all were handled very well I thought. I loved watching the relationship develop between Gia and Cormac. I was saddened by Margot/Margaret's situation, but so glad it turned out as it did. A must read!

Everyone has always encouraged me to read Brenda Novak, and I never have until now. The Banned Books Club has left me a huge fan of her work. I mean what book lover is not going to love a book about a book club? This one had mystery and romance both- I was not expecting the romance. Compelling story lines and lovable characters made this an easy 4 star read for me. I highly recommend both this book & the author!

This story really drew me in, even in this stage, still in need of some editing and formatting. I enjoyed it and found it very compelling, though it ended up being very different from what I anticipated. The title is a little misleading as the Banned Books Club isn't really the main focus area at all. I would have loved to have spent more time with that part of the story, actually, as it's such an important topic. I did really enjoy the story and growth otherwise, it was unexpectedly suspenseful at times. It had a good mix of unlikable/insufferable characters and very likable characters. A solid read that I have confidence will be even better upon completion!


Many thanks to Brenda Novak, Harlequin Trade Publishing and MIRA, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Oh, wow! What a great story! Brenda Novak has knocked this one out of the park! There were so many intense emotions and extenuating circumstances to deal with throughout this book that I couldn’t put it down! I think this is one of Brenda’s best stories ever, and it draws the reader’s attention to issues in today’s world that will always need to be addressed, exposed and dealt with. I truly thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and give and honest review to the advance copy..

I just finished reading The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak, and I have to say, it was a great read. The novel revolves around two sisters, Gia and Margot, who are going through complex and challenging times in their lives. On top of that, they are also dealing with their mother's terminal illness, which adds a layer of emotional depth to the story. At first, I thought the book would be more of a general fiction novel, but to my surprise, Brenda Novak included a sweet romance that balanced out the heavier parts of the story. I found all the characters, both the main ones and the supporting ones, to be very realistic. Brenda Novak never shies away from tackling difficult topics, and I think she did a fantastic job with Gia and Margot's story. As always, I am eagerly waiting for Brenda's next novel!